Biodiversity

North York Moors National Park Authority - Blue Corridors

This project (2020 – 2023) will help restore key landscape functions/ecological processes of the two main river corridors – Esk and Rye - within the North York Moors National Park, by:

1) Restoring River Processes - easing in-channel obstacles to restore naturally functioning river processes and ecosystem services, improving aquatic habitat and hydrological connectivity

2) Controlling Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) to restore the ecological function of the riparian corridor and protect the aquatic environment

3) Enhancing five accessible walking routes - benefiting health and wellbeing

4) Monitoring water quality and ecological indicators to assess project impact

Yorkshire Water have been able to support the Blue Corridors project through funding fish, invertebrate and water quality monitoring, riverfly survey training and invasive species control.

For more information please click  here .

Esk and Coastal Streams Catchment Partnership

Yorkshire Water are working closely with members of the Catchment Partnership such as the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA), the NYMNPA and the Environment Agency, to support the aims of the Esk Pearl Mussel Strategy by funding water quality monitoring, infrastructure upgrades and habitat conservation work, as well as the captive breeding of mussels at the FBA’s Windermere facility.

For more information please click  here .

Yorkshire Dales National Park

Yorkshire Water provided funding to the Yorkshire Dales National Park for the "Tees-Swale: naturally connected" project. The match funding allowed job roles to be filled, restoration and enhancement to a range of habitats to occur including the creation of wetland scrapes and ponds, 12 ha of hay meadow to be restored, as well as hedgerow restoration and tree planting. The funding also allowed training for farmers, volunteer training sessions and educational days for schools and youth groups. For further information please click  here .

Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust

At a number of sites a long the River Wharfe Yorkshire Water provided funding for the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust to undertake various habitat enhancements.

On Oughtershaw Beck a flood attenuation and wetland feature was created with maintenance and monitoring equipment installed.

For a youtube video of how the flood attenuation at Oughtershaw Beck please click  here .

At Cray Gill 400m of riparian fencing and a livestock crossing with drinking supply was installed as well as 500 trees planted. This was to create habitat as well as control erosion in the area.

At Nethergill Farm and Swarthghyll, wetland scrapes were created and riparian woodland and bank stabilisation occurred in an area highlighted as a priority under the River Wharfe SSSI Restoration Project.

Lower Ure Conservation Trust (LUCT)

Between 2020 and 2025, Yorkshire Water have provided funding to the LUCT to support their ongoing activities to restore wetland habtiats along the River Ure. This has enabled them to employ a project officer as well as contribute towards their capital works and to create 20ha of wetland including fen habitat and expand their existing plant nursery.

LUCT propagates local-provenance wetland plants in their purpose built poly-tunnel, they undertake and monitor habitat creation trials, disseminate their findings and support volunteers to get the most from their volunteering experience.

Through dedicated volunteers they have grown over 25,000 plants, have planted over 5,000 plants in the local area including areas of reed-fen fringes, species-rich margins and new fen habitat and supplied organisations with plants with an annual output of around 20,000 plants.

For more information please click  here .

Freshwater Habitats Trust and Nidderdale AONB

Yorkshire Water provided funding for amphibian and water quality pond surveys to be organised by the Freshwater Habitats Trust and Nidderdale AONB. 17 sites were found to have toads which previously had not been recorded. Despite its name the Common Toad is now 'at risk' in England and Wales having suffered a 68% decline in the last 30 years. More than 60 people signed up to survey pons, lakes and reservoirs. They were given training to identify different species of amphibians, carry out water quality testing and submit their data. 118 countryside ponds over 58 sites were then surveyed.

For further information please click  here .

Nidderdale AONB

Yorkshire Water provided funding towards the Nidderdale AONB Wild Watch project. This is where a targeted list of 76 species of plants and animals were selected by the AONB and local naturalists groups, for surveys both to understand their distribution and scarcity, and also to help train the next generation of citizen scientists. Habitat Suitability Models were then made to identify priority areas where they could improve and potentially create new habitat for the targeted species.

For more information please click  here .

North Yorkshire Crayfish Forum (NYCF)

Yorkshire Water have funded a part-time project officer from 2021 to 2025 to work with the partners of the NYCF to create and implement a strategy and delivery plan to protect the white-clawed crayfish. The project officer has also created a volunteer group of surveyors, provided training and carry out surveys and monitoring to improve the baseline data of crayfish in North Yorkshire. In addition the funding has allowed materials such as landowner guides and pocket guides for identification of different crayfish species with information on biosecurity.

To see more about the North Yorkshire Crayfish Forum or learn more about white-clawed crayfish please click  here .

Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust

Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) is a small charity supporting the people, landscape and wildlife of the Yorkshire Dales and surrounding areas.

YDMT is a working in partnership with Buglife to deliver the first phase of the Bee Together project along a 'B-line' from Lancaster to Leeds.

The Bee Together project has created the equivalent of 4ha of rich wildflower habitat, positioning 20 solitary bee nesting sites at strategic locations, delivering meadow management training and pollinator ID training, hosted 10 community events and delivered pollinator sessions to 200 school children as well as having udnertaken pollinator surveys at 5 sites, including Yorkshire Water sites of Swinsty, Fewston and Grimwith.

For more information please click  here .

Open Country

Yorkshire Water have funded Open Country in 2020 and 2022 so that they can enable people with disabilities to access and enjoy the countryside.

2020 funding was used in 2021 for a project officer and activities officer as well as covering transport costs, new tools and materials for new signage. This allowed the group to plant 3,000 more trees, improve at least 1,000m of public footpath, put up 40 nest boxes, plant at least 1,000 wildflower plug plants, developing and installing new interpretation boards, signage and benches, path laying, litter picking, wildlife surveying and tackling scrub and invasive species including Himilayan balsam as well as hosting five public days.

In 2022 funding for staff and materials allowed Open Country to create around 20 new ponds as well as planting 3,000 native pond, marginal and marsh plants across North and West Yorkshire.

For more information on Open Country please click  here .

NEYEDC

Yorkshire Water have provided funding for surveys to be undertaken on fungi grassland specifically for waxcaps. NEYEDC, with the support of local experts, aims to create a register of key fungi grassland sites, initially in North and East Yorkshire, using trained volunteer surveyors to undertake surveys. This work has supported other work Yorkshire Water are undertaking alongside the National Trust, to survey waxcap fungi across West Yorkshire.

As part of this project they have created a Survey 123 form for people to be able to submit their findings. For further information or to submit fungi recordings please click  here .

Wild Trout Trust

From 2016 to 2018 the Wild Trout Trust undertook enhancement works across seven sites funded by Yorkshire Water. The seven sites included East Riddlesden Hall, Killinghall, Wetherby, Embsay, Cock Beck and Thornton Beck.

Key achievements of the project included:

1) 25 angling clubs or other organisations were engaged, with 102 unique volunteers.

2) ~14km of riverbank enhanced, plus several small wetland/ponds created or rehabilitated

3) >5km of livestock exclusion fencing, 1750 trees planted and 32 spawning beds created.

Between 2020 and 2024 further enhancement works will be undertaken on watercourses funded by Yorkshire Water. At the end of 2022 a total of 8.66km of watercourse to date has been improved including Thornton Beck, Haw Beck, White Beck and Dauber Gill. Works included installing woody debris and woody deflectors, notching weird to improve passage, tree planting and installing fencing.

Wild Trout Trust - Tackling Resilience On Underperforming Tributaries (TROUT) programme

The project focusses on improving spawning and nursery habitat for brown trout, a priority species under the UK post-2010 Biodiversity Framework, but the wider ecological improvements associated with each project component such as restoration of the riparian fringe will benefit multiple priority species such as reed bunting, common lizard, common toad, otter, water vole and hare.

By restoring habitats and tackling forcing factors on 9 tributaries across Yorkshire, the project will not only make those systems more ecologically resilient, but will also reduce the effect of those forcing factors on physical habitats and their associated flora and fauna via longitudinal connectivity in the larger channels downstream. Tributary networks are used both by resident and ‘migratory’ trout moving in during spawning from the main river channel. Thus, tributaries have a disproportionately high importance for critical components of the trout life-cycle and hence the population across a catchment.

For more information please click  here .

East Yorkshire Rivers Trust

The Trust used funding from Yorkshire Water to build on work already planned under an Environment Agency grant on the River Seven at Sinnington. Flow deflectors and tree kickers have been installed as well as small areas of trees felled to allow sunlight to reach the riverbed.

RSPB

Yorkshire water provided funding to the RSPB at Bempton Cliffs to grow a new arable bird crop. The crop is specifically for birds over winter and will encourage certain species of farmland birds in decline such as yellowhammers, linnet, grey partridge, corn buntings and reed buntings.

St Nick's

Yorkshire Water provided funding to St Nick's Environment Centre in York to undertake river corridor enhancement works. The funding went towards 0.5 acre of marginal habitat improved by marginal planting to improve and increase habitat for spawning fish and toads and improve water quality. 3.5 acre of woodland will also be improved by thinning previous unmanaged woodland to restore understorey, plant trees and plant woodland bulbs.

Volunteering work with local volunteers and beaver groups also removed large volumes of Himalayan balsam and school children were able to discover Osbaldwick Beck through community engagement.

For more information please click  here  or  here .

Grow Wild York

Grow Wild York is a Community Interest Company (CIC) which means they are a not for profit social enterprise. Grow Wild CIC are a community Hub and work in partnership with other charitable organisations who use our outdoor facilities to support people with dementia, brain injury and other additional needs.

Yorkshire Water provided funding in 2022 to convert an unused grass paddock into a community wildflower meadow used for hay making.

For more information on Grow Wild York please click  here. 

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Funding through Yorkshire Water allowed match funding to be secured from Natural England and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust for restoration works to Skerne Wetlands.

The project achieved restoring a 1km degraded chalk stream habitat, restoring 10 acres of wetland grassland and created 4 acres of new wetland open water habitat.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Funding from Yorkshire Water (as well as the Environment Agency and Natural England) allowed a straightened section of the Driffield Trout Stream to go back to its formerly meandering channel. Bank stabilisation and protection were also installed along section of the re-worked channel including hazel bundles. The works took place over 2 years

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Yorkshire Water have recently provided funding to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to continue with trialling of Nofence collars. Nofence collars allow domestic grazing animals to mimic wild grazing herds to range graze across 75ha of floodplain meadows to improve habitat for botanical and lowland wader populations. The area that they graze is controlled by an app and can be easily changed. This saves a lot of money on fencing, allows new areas to be grazed and positively benefits a large range of habitats and species as a result.

For more information on the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's trial please click  here .

Derwent Catchment Partnership

Yorkshire Water provided funding to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust on behalf of the Derwetn Catchment Partnership for enhancement works across three of their sites. This included scrape creation at Low Carr, scrape desilting and restoration at Barmby and 2 scrapes created at Wheldrake Ings. Tree pollarding was also undertaken as well as reducing invasive non-native species and sediment upstream of the site.

Woodmeadow Trust

Woodmeadow Trust is a pioneering Yorkshire charity, creating and inspiring dynamic and productive woodmeadows for nature and people by 1) leading by example at their exemplar flagship site Three Hagges Woodmeadow and 2) supporting and educating others to plant and restore their own woodmeadow projects, the Woodmeadow Network.

Yorkshire Water recently provided funding in 2022 for the Woodmeadow Trust to create a new larger polytunnel. Additionally funding has enabled workshops and training of ecologists.

For more information please click  here .

Friends of the Lower Derwent Valley

Yorkshire Water provided funding to Friends of the Lower Derwent Valley to support their creation and management of reedbeds along the River Derwent.

The reedbed at Bank Island has recorded both grasshopper warbler and bearded tit. The reedbed created at North Duffied Carrs has recorded both Cetti's warbler and grasshopper warblers and a strip at Wheldrake Ings that was planted has supported a single spotted crake.

Large numbers of regular volunteers, corporate group volunteers and young people from Ad Astra were involved in the project from planning, ordering, ground works, planting reed and monitoring after.

iWharfe

Yorkshire Water was one of many funders to iWharfe to undertake water monitoring to understand how polluted the River Wharfe was and understand if the area was suitable for swimming and paddling.

Yorkshire Water have also funded iWharfe to investigate the use of eDNA in river health testing to see if it records various invasive non-native species, fish and invertebrate species. eDNA was carried out at some reservoirs as well as the River Wharfe. A workshop was then undertake to understand how the data is useful but also any limitations for the methods.

Friends of Ilkley Moor

Yorkshire Water provided funding to Friends of Ilkley Moor to work on moorland habitat enhancements of around 20 hectares of Ilkley Moor. A total of 300 volunteer hours were spent undertaking vegetation management around the lower tarn, drainage ditch repairs and bank stabilisation, bracken control, horsetail plant and coniferous tree removal and sphagnum moss planting.

Wild Trout Trust - Love for Lothersdale Beck

Lothersdale Beck was formerly achieving good ecological status, but this is now moderate and is declining due to poor land management practices. In addition, the fish community is fragmented by several structures, the furthest downstream of which is a perched ford adjacent to Yorkshire Water’s sewer treatment works. Climate change scenarios for Yorkshire predict increasing frequency and duration of winter storm events, and prolonged drier spells during summer, so this project aims to increase headwater resilience. The project will seek to deliver this through tree planting, river restoration, meadow creation and fish passage improvements.

For more information please click  here .

University of Hull

Yorkshire Water provided funding towards the 'Motus' project ran by the University of Hull. The project will install a trio of passive 'Motus' receivers at Tophill Low Nature Reserve, the Deep in Hull and RSPB Bempton Cliffs, which will link up with a receiver already present. The University of Hull will deploy miniature tags onto key breeding and migratory bird species including reed and sedge warbles, blackcaps and yellow-browed warblers supplementing those existing. Their movements will be tracked to understand their migration. For more information please click  here .

Beacon Lagoons Little Tern Project

Yorkshire Water were one of a number of funders to the Beacon Lagoons Little Tern Project. Beacon Lagoons is the only colony of little terns in Yorkshire. Funding went towards fencing, preparing the site for them such as clearing litter, installing platforms and monitoring the population through nest monitoring and ringing individual birds.

Aire Rivers Trust

Yorkshire Water has funded the removal of two barriers to fish passage on Loadpit Beck, unlocking an additional 600m of habitat connectivity. Additionally funding will allow the removal of Himalayan Balsam along a continuous section of beck.

Rodley Nature Reserve

Yorkshire Water provided funding and technical assistance to redevelop the duck marsh at Rodley Nature Reserve. The work is to improve habitat diversity for wetland species in the hope new species such as little ringed plover, common tern among other passage birds will be attracted to the area.

Catchment Based Approach - The Aire, Don and Calder Catchment Partnerships

Through Yorkshire Water’s commitment to working with Catchment Partnerships under the CaBA principles, we have provided core funding to the host organisations of the Calder, Don, and Aire Catchment Partnerships to employ a full time staff member. This has led not only to on the ground action on biodiversity, but the recruitment of citizen science volunteers and the winning of additional funding through government and private sector investment. To date around £8 has been realised by every £1 of YW investment.

For more information please click  here .

Calder Rivers Trust

Yorkshire Water have funded the Calder Rivers Trust to undertake work across the Calder catchment, including floodplain reconnection, riparian habitat restoration and river channel re-naturalisation including weir bypass. Baseline surveys including habitat, river MoRPh, otter, water vole and CHEGD grassland fungi were undertaken prior to the works. The project will run from 2022 to 2027.

Don Catchment Rivers Trust

Yorkshire Water provided funding to the Don Catchment Rivers Trust in 2022. The funding has been primarily used to fund events, advisory visits, soil health monitoring, biodiversity surveys and project management as part of the Dearne Valley Farmer Cluster.

The farm cluster will run a launch event and training workshops, provide tailored one-to-one farm advice visits, undertake baseline monitoring in two key areas (soil and farmland breeding birds) so that farmers can understand the current condition of their land and track improvements.

Funding also went towards installing measures on the River Hipper to increase flows and benefit the white-clawed crayfish population present.

For more information please click  here .

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Yorkshire Water provided the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust funding to enhance sites across the Dearne Valley included Lundwood, Darton and Wombwell. The aim of the project was to maximise the value of the area across the Dearne Valley Network.

Works included the creation of ponds and woodland, enhancement to wet woodland for example clearing dense willow scrub, installing willow tit nesting boxes and posts and species and habitat surveys.

The works contributed in helping safeguard the willow tit as part of the back from the brink project. For more information please click  here .

Riverlution by the River Stewardship Company, Friends of the Dearne and Denby Dale Parish Council

Yorkshire Water provided funding to the Rewilding the Dearne project. A section of fencing has been installed along the River Dearne to stop cattle poaching. 12 heather bales were installed into the tributary channel of the Dearne at Clayton West to create 4 semi-permeable dams to slow the flow during spate and divert run-off into riparian buffer strips and reduce nutrient run off. An area of wetland has also been installed as well as large woody debris installed to restore the river channel and tree planting.

River Holme Connections - River Resilience, Holme Catchment

River Holme Connections is passionate about making the Holme catchment a better place for people and wildlife. With the help of dedicated volunteers, they work to improve biodiversity, tackle invasive non-native species, clean up green spaces, educate people about the importance of river ecosystems and improve recreational opportunities for the whole community. Yorkshire Water are supporting River Holme Connections with invasive species management, as well as providing funding to employ a river ranger and a number of year in industry students to help deliver improvements across the Holme catchment.

Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust

The financial support from Yorkshire Water allowed the "Otterly Amazing!" project to go ahead as the final piece of the funding puzzle along with Wren Biodiversity Action Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Banister Charitable Trust and members of the public who donated to the ‘otters fundraising appeal’.

A total of 6.9 ha of river habitat improvements were achieved including creation of ponds, river, reedbed, wet woodland and floodplain restoration, the re-naturalisation of 0.44 km of river through the construction of a series of in-channel berms, training volunteers, conducting otter surveys and hosted a public event.

Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust

Yorkshire Water provided funding to the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust to improve the quality of wildlife habitats at three sites on Rotherham's rivers, the Don and the Rother.

The funding installed post and wire fencing to retain the site as stock-proof enabling the ongoing conservation works to continue as well as gates to allow vehicle access around the sites.

Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust - Rotherham Rivers

Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust are delivering a strategically planned programme of habitat improvements on the River Rother and its tributaries between 2021 and 2027, with funding provided by the Environment Agency, Highways England and Yorkshire Water. Works include fish passage, floodplain reconnection and invasive species control.

Don Catchment Rivers Trust

Yorkshire Water provided funding to the Don Catchment Rivers Trust to improve the ecological condition of Moss Brook by enhancing habitat quality and connectivity. This was achieved by:

1) Tackling an obstacle to fish passage

2) Improving instream and riparian habitat

3) Removing encroaching scrub from a riparian fen also part of the Moss Valley SSSI

Lobwood Fish Pass

Completed in 2020 (AMP 6)

Wharfe catchment

Type: Larinier fish pass

Opened up 18km

For more information please click  here 

Silsden Fish Pass

Completed in 2018 (AMP 6)

Aire catchment

Type: Removal and Easement

Opened up 1.15km

Ponden Fish Pass

Completed 2017 (AMP 6)

Aire catchment

Type: Pre-barrages (easement)

Opened up 1.14km

Esholt Fish Pass

Completed in 2020 (AMP 7)

Aire catchment

Type: Pre-barrages and low cost baffles (easement)

Opened up 4km

Rodley Fish Pass

Completed 2013 (AMP 5)

Aire catchment

Type: Bypass channel

Opened up 12.75km

For more information please click  here 

Eastwood Fish Pass

Completed in 2020 (AMP 6)

Calder Catchment

Type: Low cost baffles (easement)

Opened up 2.7km

Salterhebble Fish Pass

Completed in 2018 (AMP 6)

Calder catchment

Type: Pre-barrages (easement)

Langsett Fish Pass

Completed in 2017 (AMP 6)

Don catchment

Type: Larinier fish pass

Opened up 4.89km

Wharncliffe Fish Pass

Completed in 2018 (AMP 6)

Don catchment

Type: Larinier fish pass

Opened up 6.8km (only upstream measured)

For more information please click  here 

Niagra Fish Pass

Completed 2023 (AMP 7)

Don catchment

Type: Larinier fish pass

Opened up 46km